Until this evening, as I put together this playlist, I don’t remember listening to a Neil Diamond tune in years… maybe decades, although that doesn’t seem possible. After all, this is a guy who has had 38 top 40 hit singles, 16 top 10 albums, and he’s the only artist to chart at least one Billboard Adult Contemporary top 20 hit in every decade since that chart has been kept. That’s six decades! Hmmm, maybe that’s the problem. No one thinks of Neil Diamond and pop-rock music: they think of adult contemporary music, and that’s too bad. Listening to these tunes, especially the early hits, brings back strong memories. Neil was a huge deal back then, and his music was widely popular.
1966/1970 (reissued)
Solitary Man (2:34)
1966
Cherry, Cherry (2:43)
1967
Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon (3:01)
1967
Thank the Lord for the Night Time (3:26)
1967
Kentucky Woman (2:49)
1969
Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show (3:32)
1969
Sweet Caroline (3:24)
1969
Holly Holy (4:37)
1970
Shilo (3:02)
1970
Cracklin’ Rosie (3:00)
1971
I Am… I Said (3:33)
1972
Song Sung Blue (3:17)
1972
Play Me (3:51)
1974
Longfellow Serenade (3:51)
1976
If You Know What I Mean (3:43)
1978
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (3:16)
(with Barbra Streisand)
1979
Forever in Blue Jeans (3:35)
1980
Love on the Rocks (3:38)
1981
Hello Again (3:38)
1981
America (4:18)
1981
Yesterday’s Songs (2:49)
1982
Heartlight (4:26)
